How to Turn Off Mouse Acceleration for Gaming

To turn off mouse acceleration for gaming, clear `Enhance pointer precision` in Windows and disable any acceleration setting inside the game. Acceleration makes the same physical mouse movement travel different distances depending on how quickly you move; turning it off gives your aim a more predictable response. Leave DPI, sensitivity, and polling rate unchanged while you test the result. On macOS, System Settings has no dependable universal acceleration switch, so use the game’s raw-input option or compatible mouse software instead.

Turn off Enhance pointer precision before you launch the game

On Windows, Enhance pointer precision is the operating system’s mouse-acceleration setting. Clear it before starting the game.

Before you start, keep these settings unchanged:

• Your current mouse DPI
• Your in-game sensitivity
• Your mouse polling rate
• Any active mouse-software profile

1. Open Mouse Properties on Windows 10.

Open Settings > Devices > Mouse, select Additional mouse options, and continue with step 3.

2. Open Mouse Properties on Windows 11.

Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse, select Additional mouse settings, and continue with step 3.

3. Open the Pointer Options tab.

In the Mouse Properties window, select Pointer Options.

4. Clear Enhance pointer precision.

Under Motion, remove the check from Enhance pointer precision, then select Apply and OK.

The setting path is:

Mouse Properties > Pointer Options > Motion > Enhance pointer precision

You normally do not need administrator permission. This changes Windows pointer behavior, but a game using raw mouse input can bypass the setting.

macOS has no matching checkbox in System Settings. Its mouse settings let you change tracking speed, but they do not provide a dependable, general-purpose acceleration toggle. Use the game’s raw-input option or the mouse manufacturer’s macOS utility instead.

Check the game's own mouse settings next

A game can process mouse movement independently of Windows. It can keep its own acceleration enabled, ignore Windows pointer settings, or use raw input to bypass the desktop pointer layer.

1. Open the game’s settings and select Controls, Mouse, Input, or a similarly named section.
2. Turn off any setting named Mouse acceleration, Aim acceleration, Acceleration, or Enhanced pointer precision.
3. Turn on Raw input, Raw mouse input, or Direct input when the game provides one of those options.
4. Apply the settings and restart the game if it asks you to do so.

Typical first-person-shooter settings may look like this:

Mouse acceleration: Off
Raw input: On

The labels vary by game. Raw input generally lets the game read mouse movement more directly instead of relying on the Windows cursor. That makes Enhance pointer precision less relevant to that game, but turning off acceleration in both places prevents confusion and covers games that use the operating-system pointer path.

Do not confuse the game’s sensitivity setting with its acceleration setting. Sensitivity controls the overall movement scale. Acceleration changes that scale according to movement speed.

Do not confuse acceleration with sensitivity or DPI

Mouse acceleration changes the relationship between movement speed and cursor or camera travel. With acceleration enabled, a fast swipe can move the pointer farther than a slow swipe over the same physical distance. The same hand movement can therefore produce different on-screen distances.

Sensitivity changes the overall multiplier applied to mouse movement. DPI, or dots per inch, changes how much movement the mouse reports for a given physical distance. Both can make your aim feel faster or slower, but neither creates the same speed-dependent behavior as acceleration.

Write down your current DPI and in-game sensitivity if you want a record of them. Change only the acceleration setting first. Changing DPI, sensitivity, and acceleration together can remove the inconsistency while also changing the aim speed you were used to.

Test whether your aim is now consistent

Use a repeatable movement test instead of judging the change from one match. Compare slow and fast movements over the same physical distance while leaving every other setting alone.

1. Place the mouse at a marked starting point on your pad or desk.
2. Move it slowly across the same measured distance and note where the cursor or crosshair ends.
3. Return the mouse to the starting point without changing the on-screen view.
4. Move it quickly across the same physical distance and compare the ending position.

With acceleration disabled, the slow and fast movements should produce nearly the same distance. Small differences can come from an imprecise starting point, lifting the mouse, sensor tracking, or the game’s own input behavior. A large, repeatable difference means acceleration is still active somewhere.

5. Open a practice range, training area, or offline session.
6. Pick a fixed point and repeat the same short swipe several times at a controlled speed.
7. Repeat the swipe at a faster speed without changing DPI or sensitivity.

The crosshair should travel the same distance for the same physical swipe, whether the swipe is slow or fast. If the game has a raw-input indicator or mouse-acceleration toggle, confirm that it still shows the intended value after you restart the game. Do not test during a live match, where recoil, camera movement, and network conditions can obscure the result.

If it still feels different, check software and platform exceptions

If the movement test still shows a difference, look for another setting that controls input. Mouse-brand utilities can apply profiles when a game launches. Those profiles can change DPI, angle snapping, sensitivity, or other pointer behavior. Inspect the active profile and temporarily use a fixed profile with your original DPI and polling rate.

Steam Input, a launcher profile, or the game’s own configuration file can also override controls. Check the game’s controller and mouse settings, and make sure a per-game profile is not restoring an acceleration option. Some games use their own input systems, so Windows’ Enhance pointer precision checkbox can have no visible effect even when it is set correctly.

macOS requires a separate approach. System Settings provides tracking speed, not a reliable universal acceleration switch. If your mouse utility offers a direct acceleration control or raw-input mode, use that option. A commonly cited Terminal command is:

defaults write -g com.apple.mouse.scaling -1

This command is not a guaranteed solution across macOS versions, applications, or input devices. It changes a global preference that some software may ignore, and you may need to log out, restart, or reconnect the mouse before behavior changes. If you use it, record your original tracking setting first. Restore it through the relevant mouse utility or System Settings if the result is unsuitable.

Restart the game after changing its settings or a mouse-software profile. Restart the computer if the utility or operating system has not applied the change. Change one setting at a time so you can identify whether the remaining difference comes from acceleration, a profile switch, DPI, sensitivity, or the game’s input system.

Conclusion

Start with `Mouse Properties` > `Pointer Options` in Windows and clear `Enhance pointer precision`. Then turn off the game’s own acceleration setting and enable raw input when available. Leave DPI, sensitivity, and polling rate unchanged while you compare equal-distance slow and fast swipes. On macOS, use the game’s raw-input option or compatible mouse software rather than expecting System Settings to provide a universal switch. Once movement is consistent, adjust aim sensitivity separately and test that change on its own.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off mouse acceleration lower my sensitivity?

No. It removes the speed-dependent change in movement distance. Your DPI and in-game sensitivity remain unchanged unless you change them separately.

Should I turn on raw input if I already disabled Enhance pointer precision?

Yes, when the game offers it and you want the game to read mouse movement directly. Raw input can bypass Windows pointer behavior, while disabling `Enhance pointer precision` keeps the desktop setting consistent for games that use it.

Can I disable mouse acceleration globally on macOS?

Not reliably through the normal System Settings interface. Tracking speed is available, but a universal acceleration switch is not. Use the game’s raw-input option or a compatible mouse utility when available. The Terminal command `defaults write -g com.apple.mouse.scaling -1` is not guaranteed to work across macOS versions, applications, or input devices.